Bobble Yoke Sweater: Now Sized for Kids and Women Too!

Our Bobble Yoke Sweater is no longer just for itty bitties! When we posted our original pattern for Babies + Toddlers, your response was loud and clear, “I love it, but what about my 10-year old? Wait, what about me?!” We heard you, and so, we’re happy to announce that we’ve expanded our Bobble Yoke Sweater Pattern collection to include sizes for both Kids and Women. Now everyone can get in on the action!

The sizes may have changed, but the easy top-down construction and the charming details remain the same. The Bobble Yoke Sweater still starts at the collar with two strands of Jade Sapphire’s nearly weightless 2-Ply Mongolian Cashmere, moves on to a marled yoke that combines the 2-Ply with Purl Soho’s beautiful Line Weight merino, and finishes with doubled Line Weight for rich color and a soft-but-sturdy fabric.

And just like the original, this sweater is designed for heirloom giving, for passing down from mother to child or sibling to sibling, for knitting with love. It is that special! -Laura

However, this pattern is not available in that promotion. To purchase this particular pattern just click on the link in the Materials list above and it will take you to our webstore.

Additionally we have many patterns that are available for free here on the Purl Bee. To download one of those you just need to click on the “Print” icon on the right hand side of the page and save as a PDF>

Thank you for getting in touch and please let me know if you have any more questions!

Thank you thank you thank you! I’ve been hoping you’d rework the pattern in larger sizes ever since you published the toddler one. I know a seven year-old who is going to LOVE this. Now to decide on the color….

Hi Greer.
While this sweater is made of Cashmere and Merino and will keep you warm, it’s fairly light weight. I’m originally from Georgia, and I think I could probably wear this at least 2, maybe 3 seasons of the year.
I hope this helps!
Laura

i buy your kids bobble yoke sweater, and i immediately start the 10 years old one, but i think there is a mistake in “separate for body and sleeve”
i can’t manage with the numbers of stitches… (how many for front, how many for back)
thanks for your answers!
sophie

Hi Sophie.
To separate for the the body and sleeves… first you work across the left shoulder stitches, you put those on hold, then you work across the back, then you work across the right shoulder stitches and put those on hold, and then finally you work across the front. Before this you had 270 stitches, you put 52 stitches on hold for each sleeve and you’re left with 166 stitches for the body (83 for the front and 83 for the back).
I hope this helps!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Laura

I’m stuck at the “back shoulders” part. I just finished round 1 and am hesitant about the short rows. If I am understanding this right, I knitted 49 out of the 78 stitches (for the 3-4 yr old). Then for Row 1, do I then finish knitting in the round and stop knitting 12 stitches before the new marker? I’m just confused about this part. Please help!!

Hi Marianne.
First of all, you can definitely omit this portion of the pattern if you’d like. It simply raises the back of the sweater up so that it doesn’t dip as low as the front. It is though optional and omitting it does make the sweater reversible, front to back wise. BUT… short rows are great, once it all clicks and makes sense. So I’m more than happy to walk you through this part.

Regarding the Bobble Yoke Sweater though… You have 78 stitches for Size 3-4, you work 49 of them and place a marker, then complete that round. At this point you’re at the beginning/end-of-round marker. Slip it and then you’ll start the short rows, working back and forth, turning the work after each short row before reaching the end of the round.

First, you’ll knit to 12 stitches before the new marker (that will be 49-12 = 37 stitches), wrp-t.
Then you’ll purl to 12 stitches before the next (beginning/end-of round) marker (37-12 = 25 stitches), wrp-t.
Then you’ll knit to 8 stitches before the next (new) marker, wrp-t.
Then you’ll purl to 8 stitches before the next (end of round) marker, wrp-t.
Then you’ll knit to 4 stitches before the next (new) marker, wrp-t.
Then you’ll purl to 4 stitches before the next (beginning/end-of-round) marker, wrp-t.
Then… you’re finally going to get to knit all the way to the end of the round!

Please let me know if this helps clear things up or if you have any questions at all!!
Laura

Hi Laura. I’ve tried to knit the first step. I’m using 2 ply wool. It just won’t join in the round! I’ve tried 5 times. With needles smaller, bigger etc. I’ve been casting on super loosely. What am I doing wrong? So frustrating. I’m making the 2 yo pattern. Thanks.

Hi Simer.
I’m so sorry you’re stuck! Can I ask… what do you mean it won’t join in the round? Are the needles simply too long for the number of stitches you cast on for the neck? I used a 16-inch circular needle. What length have you tried? Maybe you could start with double pointed needles?
Please let us know how it goes!
Laura

I’m about to knit an 18-month Bobble Yoke sweater and in reading through the instructions, I thought it was odd that I would work 2 3/4 inches under “SHAPE SLEEVES” when the next smaller size only requires 1″ and the larger sizes require Leeds than 2 inches. Is this a misprint?

Hi Holly.
Thanks for writing in. The 2 3/4 is not a typo. But I understand why it may have raised a red flag. That just happens to be how the math works with spacing the decreases in the appropriate length for that size. If you take a look just blow that 2 3/4 inch dimension, you’ll see that for the 18 month size you are not repeating from the ** whereas the other sizes are, again, this is just how the math works out to get the appropriate shaping over the right length.
Please let us know if you have any questions!
Thanks again for writing in. I hope you’re enjoying the pattern.
Laura

Hi Chris.
Thanks for writing in.
I guess I would say it’s intermediate. But I would hate to discourage you to not make it if you’re a beginner. It’s very clearly written and we mention tutorials you can reference throughout the pattern. Plus, we’re always here to help you!
Please let me know if you have any questions!!
Laura

I am stuck on the increase round for the back shoulders for a size 8l It says knit 11, make 1, knit 23 m3 knit 12. That does not add up to 96 stitches. Am I reading this incorrectly? If I repeat then I would have too many stitches.
Thanks for your help.
Cornelia

Here is how those 92 stitches are accounted for…
11 + (23 x 3) + 12
= 11 + 69 + 12
= 92 stitches
Here is how the 4 increases are accounted for…
You increase after that 11th stitch, then again after working 23 stitches, again after 23 stitches, and again after 23 stitches. 4 increases all together, getting you up to 96 stitches.

Of course you could use size #6 needles, but the risk is that the pattern may not come out exactly in the size written in the pattern. Be sure to do a gauge swatch so that you can anticipate how the sweater will turn out. Who knows, you may be a super tight knitter in which case a size #6 would be optimal! Best of luck! -Alyson

Hello!
I am stuck on the yoke-bobbles!
I do knit the bobbles but with Bobble A I do not obtain any stitch increased and with Bobble-B I even obtain 1 stitch decreased! I am driving crazy about that. By the way, why are there two different bobbles (A and B)? I am trying to understand the logic.
Is there any video tutorial about this part?
Or, could you explain me the technique in other words?
Thanks for your help!

Hi Veronica.
You have some great questions here!
The bobbles are staggered. In order to perfectly stagger them, sometimes you have to make a bobble into a stitch and sometimes you have to make a bobble between two stitches. This is why there are two different bobble techniques! Both techniques result in a single increase. I’m afraid we do not have a video tutorial, but hopefully with this information, the photo tutorial in the pattern will make a bit more sense!
Please let us know if you have any additional questions!
Thanks for writing in.
Laura

Thanks a lot Laura.
I realized that, making bobbles, I had to knit only one yarn and consider the stitches as singles stitches (not doubled, as we knit the rest of the row). This is the reason because I had strange increasings / decreasings.
I understand now why there are two different bobbles. That explains why my bobbles are not staggered, actually quite scattered! 🙂
Thanks again!

Hello!
I’m really struggling with the bobbles. I’ve tried re-reading the instructions and looking at other bobble demos online, but I just can’t seem to grasp this. Any chance y’all will be posting a video for the bobble in this pattern specifically in the near future? I’m stuck with the knitting into the front and back of the bar/stitch and how many stitches I should be ending up with before p2tog. Thank you for any help you can provide!
-Adah

I hope you’ll see this though this post was published a while back. Could I substitute the cashmere for some of your line weight? Are the equal in terms of weight? I just don’t know that I can justify cashmere for my six year old. I know I’ll need to wash it, at least a bit!

Hi Meredith! Thanks for writing in! Using the Line Weight only for this pattern is a great (and economical!) idea! Yes, you should definitely be able to obtain the correct gauge by holding Line Weight double in place of holding the 2 ply cashmere with Line Weight. If you’re looking for similar contrast, we would recommended using Line Weight in Heirloom White in place of the Ivory Jade Sapphire.

Hi! So I just started knitting this, and I just wanted to make sure I haven’t made a mistake right at the beginning. Does the beginning of the round start at the back shoulders, and then go around to the front (so you are knitting across the back of the sweater first)? Thank you!

Hello Nicole,
Thank you for reaching out and sorry for the delayed response! Yes! For round 1 you will knit across the back, place a marker, knit across the front. After you have knit this round you will be working short rows back and forth to create the back shoulders.
I hope this clarifies things. Please let us know if you have any further questions!
-Marilla

Thanks. I love Purlsoho. Everything is so beautiful. I’m 83 yrs. old and made 3 very sad looking sweaters 50 years ago. Thanks to the internet I am finally learning how to knit. I never thought there was so much to learn. You people are the best.

Thanks for writing in! While I have never used shadow short rows in the round, you should be able to use them in the round. As short rows are knit flat even when working int he round (you knit back and forth when working short rows as in our Bandana Cowl).